Director Yang

Biodata

Background / History

Before directing Ideal Life, Yang had already acquired a reputation for variety shows filled with traps. Jian Yuanjia cites My Heart Beats Only for You as an example: Yang cast a couple who had broken up, deliberately arranged dates between them, asked the audience to guess, and used provocative editing 9.

Yang also had firsthand experience with ghosts before the supernatural incidents on Ideal Life. He recalls narrowly surviving an earlier encounter, which explains why he readily believes a ghost is threatening Jiang Yue rather than dismissing the situation 17.

*Ideal Life*: Wuzhen

Yang begins the Wuzhen challenge by requiring the guests to find local delicacies, surrender their phones, and work with only one hundred yuan in total—not one hundred each, as they initially assume 9 10.

The guests repeatedly disrupt his plans. Ji Nanshu’s group avoids further work because it already has enough packed food, while Ji Nanshu and Chu Mo later disappear from filming to sleep. When Bai Nanchen knocks out his front teeth, Yang arranges medical assistance and subsequently introduces Bai Nanyu as his replacement 13 14.

Yang reluctantly accepts twelve containers of leftovers as the winning entry in the food task. His promised prize then turns out to be uncooked meat and fish rather than a prepared feast 14. After Ji Nanshu helps catch a murderer, Yang scolds him for risking his own safety and that of the crowd. The other guests nevertheless persuade Yang to reward him with a lavish dinner, which Yang turns into livestream content 21.

Incense Valley Town

For the second episode, Yang obtains a traditional residence without paying rent. Ji Nanshu identifies an inhuman resident and tells him to keep the guests away from the backyard storeroom. Yang pays two thousand for a divination and receives reassurance that the episode will go smoothly 36.

When the guests refuse to get up, Yang repeatedly broadcasts a wake-up recording through a megaphone. Their subsequent jokes about going on strike prompt him to introduce a punishment for the losing team 42. After filming, he pays Ji Nanshu another two thousand to ask whether the show might be cancelled. Ji Nanshu predicts success, provided Yang does not allow outsiders to sway his decisions 45.

Haunted Villa and Escape-Room Episodes

Yang secures the use of Jin Shi’s villa on the condition that the production team investigate its haunting rumors. When the guests suggest abandoning the investigation so that Yang will have to pay rent, he threatens to give away their refrigerated food. Their united demands eventually force him to promise a reward for solving the mystery 63 64.

After Du Lanwan explains the haunting, Yang complains that the guests are ruining his show. She approaches and teases him until he collapses; the following chapter reveals him pretending to remain unconscious on the sofa 66 67.

During the ensuing scandal against Ji Nanshu, a sponsor surnamed Bai threatens to withdraw funding unless Yang replaces him. Yang contacts Ji Nanshu for an explanation and reacts angrily on learning that the Bai family is behind the allegations 75.

Yang next arranges a horror-themed escape-room episode. Ji Nanshu, Chu Mo, and the other guests insist that he accompany them throughout filming, and he agrees after recalling similar viewer requests 77 78. His decision leaves him watching helplessly as the guests smash doors and locks, frightening the performers and making him dread the repair bill 79 80.

For Ideal Life’s final grassland episode, Yang explicitly promises that there will be no tasks or competitions 101.

Later Dating Show

Yang returns to direct a dating show featuring five couples, including Ji Nanshu and Chu Mo, and Jin Shi and Jian Yuanjia. His format again makes accommodation, food, and spending money dependent on games and tasks 139 141 143 148.

The guests continue turning his challenges back on him. Ji Nanshu and Jian Yuanjia press him into a beach-volleyball match alongside the assistant director. Later, Ji Nanshu secretly applies an Obedience Talisman, forcing Yang to accompany them while gathering wild vegetables despite his protests 143 160 161.

In Country F, Yang introduces a cooking tiebreaker for room selection. He confidently dismisses the assistant director’s warning that his scheme might backfire, only to become the judge who must swallow Ji Nanshu’s disastrous fried noodles. He subsequently makes those noodles the punishment for failing the next cultural-promotion task 168 169.

Appearance

• Face: Pale and chubby; his smiling expression can make him appear unexpectedly guileless 45.
• Build: Heavyset. When pushed into playing volleyball, he privately complains that he becomes breathless after very little movement 143.
• Smile: Described as displaying two rows of large white teeth when dismissing Bai Nanchen’s complaints 63.

Personality

Yang openly embraces his reputation for shamelessness. When Jian Yuanjia asks for more starting money shortly after criticizing his shows, Yang answers, “After all, I’m rather shameless.” He enjoys withholding information, imposing inconvenient conditions, and devising punishments for uncooperative guests 9 42 45.

He is highly conscious of both audience interest and production costs. Rising livestream popularity persuades him not to interrupt an unexpected meal, while free accommodation and possible repair bills strongly influence his decisions. He also maintains that familiar games are worth using if viewers enjoy them 11 36 80 145.

Despite his bluster, Yang is not indifferent to safety. He arranges treatment for Bai Nanchen, reprimands Ji Nanshu for confronting a murderer without warning, and worries about Yu Can’s recovery from depression when Yu Can joins a show with Chen Rui 13 21 160. His own courage is less reliable: although willing to film supernatural-themed entertainment, direct attention from Du Lanwan frightens him into collapse 66.

Abilities & Skills

Variety-Show Production

Yang designs competitive formats around limited resources, room selection, food, and penalties. He also adjusts the program in response to guest behavior and viewer feedback 42 78 168.

Livestream Management

• Monitors live popularity and allows unplanned developments to continue when they attract viewers 11.
• Supports muting abusive livestream comments 11.
• Quietly resumes broadcasting during the guests’ reward dinner 21.
• Signals the crew to suspend the livestream before taking Xiao Lin aside for a private conversation 173.

Suona Playing

• Learns a new wake-up method after the guests repeatedly ignore his megaphone announcements.
• Plays the suona loudly in the villa’s upstairs hallway, successfully rousing the cast 63.

Equipment / Items

• Megaphone — Used for task announcements, wake-up recordings, and arguments with the cast 42 60 64.
• Suona — Used to wake the sleeping guests during the haunted-villa episode 63.
• Production headset — Allows him to direct camera operators remotely, although their blunt delivery sometimes exposes thoughts he would rather leave unspoken 175.

Relationships

• Ji Nanshu — A guest who repeatedly exploits Yang’s rules and reverses his schemes. Yang nevertheless trusts his divination enough to pay for two readings concerning the show’s prospects 14 36 45 160.
• Jian Yuanjia — A frequent heckler and bargaining opponent. Their disputes range from food and rent to childish curses about instant noodles without seasoning packets 9 64 79.
• Chu Mo — A high-profile guest Yang was determined to sign. Chu Mo’s protection of Ji Nanshu undermines Yang’s authority, while his forceful escape-room solutions leave Yang worrying about damages 42 80.
• Jin Shi — Villa owner who lends the production team his property in exchange for investigating its haunting; later returns as a guest star 63 78.
• Du Lanwan — The villa’s ghost, whose teasing frightens Yang into collapsing 66.
• Yu Can — His wife’s nephew. Yang worries that appearing alongside Chen Rui could jeopardize Yu Can’s recovery from depression 160.
• Assistant Director — Helps run the shows, reluctantly joins Yang’s volleyball team, and warns him that his cooking-challenge scheme could backfire 143 168.

Notable Quotes

“After all, I’m rather shameless.” 9

“If my show doesn’t become a hit, every one of you is responsible!” 66

“That’s called mitigating risks in advance!” 140